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Hold Fast Mug - Doris & CoToday I have one stunningly lovely Doris & Co Hold Fast Mug up for grabs. I have one and use it every day… and get rather cross if others get given it with their tea in… but enough about me and my ‘protective’ feelings towards my Hold Fast Mug…

Why am I giving away a Hold Fast Mug from Doris & Co?

Doris & Co is a sister company to Hiho Silver, and a business I am very, very proud to support. The British made creamware that Doris & Co is known for is beautiful, lovely to hold, beautifully designed… and hard as nails. The phrases and words on the mugs are all thoughtfully chosen and make you feel warm and fuzzy… without any nausea(!). The designs are gorgeous and exclusive to Doris. And the brand is friendly, welcoming, inclusive and fun. I love that the pieces are as beautiful as they are practical. I love ‘nice’ things, who doesn’t, but two toddlers, the naughtiest dog I have ever met and more means that delicate things don’t say ‘nice’ for long. Despite my best efforts. But Doris & Co products are the exception. They’re dishwasher proof, robust, well made… and I haven’t managed to break mine some two years on. I’m not trying to, far from it, but you know what I mean!

Why do I like the Hold Fast Mug from Doris & Co?

You may have noticed a very strong equestrian and country theme to my blog, clients, musing and content. That’s not something that’s done for show, it’s just me. I have horses, I’ve worked with horses in the past. We live at the back of beyond. I spend a fair amount of time outside, and so on. The Hold Fast Mug captures so many of the elements that I love. There’s a strong equestrian theme, there’s a strong nod to the countryside, and you’ll know by now that I LOVE a quote or saying. And ‘Hold Fast’ gives a good nod to that too. It is my favourite mug for many reasons, and if I can share a bit of Doris & Co with you this Christmas, well, the pleasure is all mine.

Would you like to win a Hold Fast Mug from Doris & Co?

I have one Hold Fast Mug from Doris & Co to give away… and the competition is only running until midnight on the day this blog is published. If you read this afterwards and you love the mug too, just pop on over to Doris & Co’s website and see Hold Fast and some equally lovely ‘friends’. However, if you’re in time, all you need to do it pop on over to my Rhea Freeman PR Facebook page, watch the video that will be pinned to the top today and enter. That’s it! Of course, I’d love it if you’d tell your friends by sharing the post.

I hope you enjoy my advent calendar competition – best of luck!

Sophie Carroll

Photo by Lens & Hound

Have you seen Evemy & Evemy’s social media this week? If not, I’d suggest you head over there as soon as you get to the end of this blog, because there’s a first birthday celebration going on and there are some amazing prizes up for grabs!

What is Evemy & Evemy?

Evemy & Evemy is a really lovely British brand headed by its founder Sophie Carroll. Sophie is a client of mine and I have to say she is an absolute joy to work with. The products she designs and sells all have really interesting stories, and are carefully thought through and created to ensure they exceed expectations and give the wearers delight every time to they use and wear them.

What products do Evemy & Evemy design?

There are many lovely products on the Evemy & Evemy website, but the Pluma Scarf is one I’m going to talk about today as I think it really shows what makes the brand special. To the person who doesn’t know, Pluma looks like a beautiful silk scarf with hand drawn game bird feathers. And that is completely true. But the feathers were actually drawn by Sophie’s mother who is an illustrator. I love

Evemy & Evemy

Photo: Lens & Hound
Model: Amber Zakrezewski

this connection, not just to the countryside and customers in terms of the drawings on the scarf, but also between Sophie and the talented artist and illustrator who drew them! I really do love products with stories and feel that this is one area smaller businesses can win on over larger businesses. But I digress. The Pluma is lovely, and there are other designs coming out too that are definitely worth adding to your wish list/autumn accessories collection. And have you seen the new socks? A real treat for feet.

The birthday celebrations…

So, now you have a bit of background about the company, let’s examine the birthday party… although this party is more like 10 days of celebration as the prizes donated from Hyde & Hare, Hiho Silver, Mackenzie & George and Doris & Co will be announced over a few days, to spread the joy. It’s easy to enter to win any of the lovely prizes – visit the Evemy & Evemy blog here to find out more.
And let me just take this opportunity to wish Evemy & Evemy a very, very happy birthday. I can’t wait to see the company continue to grow and develop.

Emma WarrenEmma Warren is a lady you’ll hear me talk about a fair amount. She kindly provided a testimonial for my site a little while ago, but she’s best known as ‘Queen Bee’ at Hiho Silver. Well, I say best known, it depends on when you first encountered her! If you’ve been lucky enough to visit the luxury glamping shepherd’s hut Dimpsey, you’ll know her from there, or if you’ve met her British creamware brand Doris & Co you might know her from there… and if you came to the Farm Innovations Show she was a speaker on the Canopy and Stars panel too! She’s a lady of many talents. Here she tells us a bit more…

Tell us about you and your background?

Hi there, I’m Emma and I’m based on a small Blackdown Hills Farm in Somerset with my hubby and two boys.  I originally trained as a Management Accountant and worked in manufacturing, ending up as a Finance & Operations Director.  I left and started my own business in 2008, helping entrepreneurial businesses to grow.  Through that I met some really great companies and now am an owner of Hiho Silver and Doris & Co and run a small glamping business called Dimpsey Glamping.

Dimpsey

Inside Emma’s luxury glamping shepherd’s hut, Dimpsey

What made you want to start a business?

I generally worked in small divisions of very large companies – I really enjoyed the energy and vibrancy of them and the fact that I had the opportunity to learn lots about the whole business.  However, once I’d had children the long hours I was working made me think it was time for a change.  I’d had a hankering to work for myself for a while and decided to it was time to give it a go.  I still work really long hours, but I can be flexible and fit other things in as well.

How is your business different?

Oh tough question, because I think we all like to think we’re different from the competition – but I can say hand on heart that customer needs are always at the heart of everything we do.

What makes your products special?

The fact that we are passionate about what we do and I’d hope that shines through whenever someone deals with us – we love our products and we love to share that with people.  We work with our customers to see what they are wanting from us – and then we work really hard to deliver that in a consistent and on-brand way.

If you had to sum up your business in five words, what would they be?

Quirky, country, customer-led, trust, quality

Do you have a motto or ethos?

Only work with people you like!

Hiho Silver Cherry Roller

Hiho’s Cherry Roller, photographed by Jake Eastham

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring business owner, what would it be?

Just do it – it’s never as bad as you imagine it to be…

One thing that helps you run your business more effectively 

I would be absolutely lost without my iPhone and calendar

Best thing about running a business?

Having an idea and making it happen and then seeing if it goes down well with customers.  It’s such a great privilege to be able to have such a close connection between rudder and boat (so to speak)

Worst thing about running a business?

The unpredictability and the need to always be on your toes!

Top business blog you follow

I am a big Seth Godin fan and I also really like to read Inc.com posts 

Top business book you’ve read

Purple Cow – Seth Godin – I could have chosen lots of books here but I really think Seth makes a lot of good points in this book.

One thing we might not know about you

I absolutely love singing!

Top business achievement

Hiho – launching the cherry roller and the Country Shows Journal – I love working on that with Rhea

Doris & Co Stern Stuff Mug

and Nathalie on the CSJ and the whole of the Hiho team have been involved with the cherry roller and its development.

Dimpsey – winning Gold in the Somerset Tourism Awards

Doris – securing the business

Where can people follow you or your business online?

Hihohttp://www.hihosilver.co.uk

Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/hihosilveruk

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/hihotweet

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/hiho.silver.jewellery/

Doris & Cohttp://www.dorisandco.co.uk

Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/dorisandco

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/dorisandco

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Dorisandcolimited/

Dimpseyhttp://www.dimpsey.co.uk

Instagram- http://www.instagram.com/dimpsey_glamping

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/dimpseyuk

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/dimpsey.uk/

I was planning to write this blog before Badminton Horse Trials but, with a number of clients exhibiting at the event and lots of exciting things to tell the press about, as normal, my blog got knocked down the priority list! That said, this blog, all about how to survive a horse trials, is now written with a fresh appreciation of the kit you really should pack in your bag to ensure you have the best time possible.

Now, just to be clear, although the title may suggest I’m not a fan of horse trials, it couldn’t be further from the truth. I love going to horse trials with Badminton and Blenheim definitely at the top of my list. They’re quite different to each other, so I’m not saying which I like the most…it wouldn’t be fair (!).

Onto the serious matter of how to survive and thrive at a horse trials…here are my top tips.

1. Get organised. In order to arrive at a reasonable time without stressing yourself out, it’s best to get organised at least the day before. This year I took my dog Jam with me, so in addition to tickets, money, maps and more, I also had to remember her breakfast, her two leads, poo bags and waterproofs in case it rained.

2. Maps. Not just for getting there, but for the show itself. I had a number of clients to see at Badminton, so I printed out a map of the tradestands and marked where I needed to go. This may sound a little too organised, but some of these tradestand villages are HUGE, and if there are some stands you really want to see, it’s worth printing out a map, finding the stand numbers and marking on where you want to go. Honest.

If you’re planning to walk the XC course, especially on a non-XC day, consider printing out a map of here too. I didn’t this year, walked a good way…and realised I’d missed most of the XC course. Not a huge problem, but a little annoying!

3. Drinks. Yes, make sure you take a bottle of water with you/be prepared to buy at the show and drink it! It’s very easy to forget to drink when you’re taking in what’s going on and having fun…but the headache you’ll get and general feeling of being less than 100% that follows isn’t ideal. I’m not saying you should only drink water as there are some fab drinks places around the shows, and this year the lovely Hiho Silver offered their customers tea or coffee on the stand in stunning Doris & Co mugs. Very well received by everyone.

4. Food. Yes, you’re going to have to eat! You can tackle this in a few ways: 1) you can stop at a supermarket and take advantage of a meal deal 2) you can pack a lovely picnic of your favourite things 3) you can make the most of the food stands and tents and sample all the delicious food available. I tend to do a mixture of one and three, just because then, when it’s 10.30 and I’m starving and in the middle of something, I can eat the food I have stashed away…ready to enjoy the food tent later.

5. Comfortable boots. It’ll depend on the weather, obviously, but boots are good…and for god’s sake make sure they’re comfortable. If you’re thinking of wearing heels (it’ll be in a field, come on!), flip flops (seriously?!) or anything similar, THROW THAT IDEA AWAY. YOU’VE LOST YOUR MIND. Even on a warm day, you’ll be dealing with long grass (if you walk the XC) and maybe mud/dirt in the shopping village. And you’ll be deal with other people. When someone in their size 12s treads on your foot, you’ll be pleased you’re not wearing beach wear!

6. Ready for all weathers. I was very, very lucky at this year’s Badminton, but it can often be a mixed bag, If it’s warm, put a lightweight waterproof in your bag and, if it’s cold…make sure you coat has waterproof qualities. Or take a brolly…but be aware of taking people’s eyes out as everyone runs for cover in the shopping village.

7. Car parking. I always take a picture of where I leave my car – obviously including some point I can refer to (not just the car). Having temporarily lost a car in a large car park once before it’s pretty important for me!

8. Backpacks. They might not be the most elegant of bags, but a backpack can be worth its weight in gold. As I said, I took a dog this year, and it was very useful being ‘handsfree’…well, from the bag at least. It also means that you’ll stay balanced, as I’ve been unbalanced with bags before, and it really does make everything ache after a while!

 

I’m sure I’ve missed some tips, but these are definitely the top ones that come to mind. Obviously the whole point of going to events is to have a good time…and the tips about should help you do this!